Robin Bledsoe Park in Leander to gain bodyweight fitness court

Leander was selected to receive a $10,000 grant from the National Fitness Council and a $5,000 credit from Sports Floor Material to build an outdoor bodyweight fitness court.Courtesy city of Leander

Attendees at Robin Bledsoe Park in Leander could have a new spot for bodyweight workouts.

Leander Parks and Recreation Director Mark Tummons told City Council during a Thursday night meeting that the city was selected to receive a $10,000 grant from the National Fitness Council and a $5,000 credit from Sports Floor Material to build an outdoor bodyweight fitness court. He said the department has been working with the council for the past six months and will also join the 2018 National Fitness Campaign.

According to city documents, the National Fitness Campaign aims to make fitness spaces free in public spaces. The campaign is built around installing an outdoor bodyweight fitness club with no walls, and the court offers seven-minute training routines of full-body workouts for adults of all ages. The campaign also offers a phone app for those learning new workouts.

The fitness court will be installed at Robin Bledsoe Park along the trail, Tummons said.

“It’s a very unique, a very beautiful type of facility with fitness equipment,” he said. “It will help us meet some of our goals that we’ve established for ourselves to be a healthier and fitter community.”

The total cost for the fitness court is $100,000. With additional funds, the city’s share will cost $85,000, which would be paid for with parkland funds in Fiscal Year 2019.

According to a city spokesman, construction could start sometime in 2019.

Caitlin covers Cedar Park and Leander city councils and reports on education, transportation, government and business news. She is an alumnus of The University of Texas at Austin. Most recently, Caitlin produced a large-scale investigative project with The Dallas Morning News and led education coverage in the Brazos Valley at The Bryan-College Station Eagle. After interning with Community Impact Newspaper for two summers, she joined the staff as a reporter in 2015.